Page 55 of Spilling the Tea

Sleeping late in the mornings was something Chance rarely did unless there was a good reason for it. This morning, he thought he had one. He had been enjoying his fantasy dream so much that he hadn’t wanted to wake up. Now he was awake and already missing the imagery of making love to a woman. However, it hadn’t been just any woman. She had been Zoey.

Even now, he could barely open his eyes for wanting to remember every luscious detail. It had been one of the most passionate nights of his life, even though it had only been a dream. He could only assume the reason was that she had been on his mind most of yesterday. Damn, who was he kidding? Zoey Pritchard had been on his mind the day before that. If he were honest with himself, he would admit to thinking of her a lot since that day he’d first seen her by the side of the road.

After returning home from visiting his folks yesterday, he had been tempted to call Mama Laverne to see how the lunch meeting with Zoey had gone, but then he’d thought better of it. His great-grandmother might have put too much stock in his interest.

He’d thought about calling Corbin but dismissed the thought. His cousin assumed he had things all figured out as Zoey was concerned. But, like he’d told Luke yesterday, what he felt toward Zoey was nothing more than a strong attraction and intense desire. That’s why his fantasy dream of sex with her had seemed so real.

Another option would have been to call Zoey since he had her number. Given he’d been the one to set up the meeting between Mama Laverne and Zoey, his interest in its outcome would be understandable. Using that logic, he reached for the cell phone on his nightstand but pulled his hand back. That logic was BS, and he knew it.

Pushing the covers aside, he eased out of bed, and like most mornings, he gazed out the window at his land. It always made him feel good inside to realize that he owned all of it—every valley, plain, and stream. And, like always, he thought it was a beautiful sight.

By the time he had returned to the ranch from visiting his folks yesterday, the place was empty. The ranch hands had left for town to enjoy the weekend and women. Lucky bastards. Thursday night had been a real disappointment for him. However, that fantasy dream last night had made up for it.

He headed for the bathroom. Usually, Saturdays were when he returned to the ranch after spending Friday night in a woman’s arms. Going to Vance’s Tavern a day earlier than usual had been a mistake. On top of it, he’d run into Ravena.

The nerve of her thinking they could get back together. He’d meant just what he’d said when he told her that walking out of his life was the best thing she ever could have done. He hadn’t seen it at the time, but he damn sure did now.

Then why were Ravena’s words nagging at him? Maybe because she’d said the same thing his cousins had told him over the years. In the five years since she’d left, he hadn’t gotten serious about a woman, making it look like he was still pining for Ravena. At the time, he had not given a royal damn what anyone thought, but for Ravena to think such a thing did not sit well with him. At least he had gotten her straight about that.

A short while later, he was dressed to ride his land, something he enjoyed doing. He had placed his Stetson on his headand stepped onto his porch when his cell phone rang. It was Corbin. “Yes, Corbin?”

“I heard you went to Vance’s Tavern Thursday night and ran into Ravena.”

“What of it?” he asked, not surprised he’d heard about it.

“Nothing, I guess.”

“You’re right. Seeing her meant nothing.”

“Good. I always told you she was bad news.”

Yes, he had. Although many of his cousins hadn’t liked Ravena, most had kept their thoughts to themselves. Corbin hadn’t. He wished like hell he’d listened to his cousin.

“Is there a reason for your call, Corbin?”

“I’m surprised you hadn’t called me to see how things went with Mama Laverne and Zoey.”

There was no reason to tell him he had thought about doing that. Instead, he decided to act nonchalant. “No reason to think things wouldn’t go well. Zoey certainly makes an impression, and Mama Laverne likes meeting people.”

“I agree, and they hit it off well.”

“Did Zoey get all the information she needed to know?”

“Evidently not since more meetings have been arranged. I believe Mama Laverne has taken a liking to her, to the point where she’ll take it upon herself to help Zoey regain her memory.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if she succeeded in doing so. Like I’ve always said, Felicia Laverne Madaris is a miracle worker.”

“Well, I prefer she performs her miracles on someone else. Especially when it comes to my love life or lack of one. And just so you know, Mama Laverne invited Zoey to the family reunion. I guess she wants to introduce her to everyone.”

“Evidently,” he said, annoyed at the thought of his single cousins checking her out.

“Well, I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to bed.”

“Bed?” Chance asked, heading down the steps toward the stable. “It’s ten in the morning.”

“I know what time it is. Since Luke was in town, the cousins played poker last night, and I’m just getting in. I need to rest up for later.”

“What’s happening later?”

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