Page 6 of Spilling the Tea

“I know how you feel about exclusivity. Maybe it’s time you let your hair down. Live a little. Walk on the wild side. Be daring. So, what are your plans tomorrow?” Lucky asked.

“If the weather clears up, I plan to do what I wanted today. Find that ranch. That shouldn’t be hard since I have an address.”

“Just be careful. I don’t like you being out in rural Texas alone.”

“I’ll be fine, Lucky. Stop worrying and stop watching so many of those crime shows.”

An hour later, Zoey returned to her hotel room after going downstairs to grab something to eat at the hotel’s restaurant. The storm outside had gotten worse, and bolts of lightning werecrisscrossing the sky. As she prepared for bed, she couldn’t help but remember how well her visit to Boston had gone last week.

The moment she’d walked into the orthopedic wing of Massachusetts General Hospital, an older doctor had stared at her as if he was seeing a ghost. His stare was eerie until he approached her and had introduced himself as Dr. Jerome Kemmic, the chief of Orthopedic Surgery. He’d then asked if she was related to the late Dr. Michelle Pritchard. He’d told her the resemblance was uncanny. She had told him that she was Holton and Michelle Pritchard’s daughter.

He had worked with them. Of course, he’d known about the tragic accident and how she had been the lone survivor. He’d also remembered the long months she had remained in the hospital and he, and other colleagues of her parents, had come to visit her during that time, before she left for California with no forwarding information.

She had told him about her memory loss and why it was so important for her to find out as much about her childhood as she could. He had been pleased to hear she’d followed in her parents’ footsteps and was also an orthopedic surgeon, claiming her parents would be proud of her.

She’d also been told that one person who could help with her memory was Sharon Newberry, a doctor who’d been her mother’s close friend. Dr. Newberry had transferred to a Florida hospital after getting married nearly fifteen years ago. He’d felt certain the woman would love to talk to her and had told Zoey how hard the woman had taken her parents’ death. After obtaining Zoey’s contact information, Dr. Kemmic said he would contact Dr. Newberry on her behalf.

Zoey went to bed that night excited about what the future would bring, and when she finally closed her eyes, the image of the tall, hot, and handsome cowboy she’d met that day filled her mind.

Chapter Two

Chance returned to the house after visiting with his men in the bunkhouse. He had eight men in total. The three who made Teakwood Ridge their home—Purdy, Amos, and Larry—had private sleeping quarters.

Before going into the house, he turned to gaze over his land. It was an awesome view from where he stood on his back porch. He didn’t know of anything more spectacular. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the face of the woman from yesterday flashed across his mind.

Chance would admit there had been something about her that was unforgettable, although he was trying hard to forget. Hell, he would admit thoughts of her had consumed his mind when he’d drifted off to sleep last night. Knowing how he felt about reporters, he couldn’t understand how such a thing happened.

He couldn’t rightly say he disliked all reporters because there were two in the Madaris family. His cousins Victoria and Christy. Because of them, he wouldn’t say all reporters were bad.

Chance drew in a deep breath when he realized what he wasdoing, namely, trying to find an acceptable excuse for the occupation of the woman he’d seen yesterday. He was well aware that everybody had to work for a living, but when someone’s occupation deliberately invaded the privacy of others, he had a problem with that.

It baffled the hell out of him as to why he was still thinking about her. He’d met attractive women before. But there had been something about her that he couldn’t explain, although he had been in her presence less than five minutes. However, that’s all the time it had taken for him to be captivated. His lips tightened at the thought since he was not a man easily dazzled.

Had it been her smile? Those damn dimples? The way her hair had touched her shoulders at a seemingly perfect angle. The way her jeans had hugged those luscious-looking hips of hers?

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and squinted in the morning sun. At least the sun was out, which hopefully meant today would be a better day than before. The weekend was three days away, and he would make it a point to visit downtown Houston—specifically, Vance’s Tavern. You could usually meet a willing woman there, and it was time to take care of his sexual needs. It had been six months since he’d shared a bed with a woman, and he was horny as hell.

Considering how intense his attraction had been to that woman yesterday, which hadn’t been typical for him, it was a good thing he knew nothing about her. Their paths wouldn’t likely cross again—end of story.

And speaking of story…he had alerted his uncle she was in the area. Jake thanked him for the information. However, Chance knew Whispering Pines was like a fortress. No one got on its lands unless invited by Jake and Diamond. That meant if the woman was determined enough to tell a story, she might bother the neighbors. If she did so, she would soon discover that, like the men who worked for Jake, his neighbors were just as loyal and kept their mouths shut.

Chance checked his watch. It was close to nine. His housekeeper and cook, Ms. Cate, was a timely person. She would have breakfast ready at nine, and unless it was roundup time or an emergency on the ranch that needed his attention, she expected him to be sitting at the kitchen table and eating by nine-fifteen.

Ms. Cate hadn’t just come highly recommended; his great-grandmother practically installed her there. Trying to convince Mama Laverne he didn’t need a housekeeper, or a cook had been a waste of time after she’d unexpectedly visited him one day. She hadn’t liked his housekeeping, or how his freezers were stocked with microwave dinners. She took offense to the latter since she had required all her grands and great-grands to attend her cooking classes when they’d turned sixteen. She’d felt there was no reason for microwave dinners to be in his freezer when he was a perfectly good cook. She knew because she’d taught him herself.

Cate Neville was an older, grandmotherly woman who had been the childhood best friend of his grandaunt Bessie, who was married to Nolan Sr. She arrived at eight and left at five on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since he spent most of his time on the range, they didn’t get in each other’s way. He’d gotten used to having his home nice and neat and a delicious meal prepared for him, with enough leftovers for the days she didn’t come.

Drawing in a deep breath, he inhaled the scent of fried bacon and knew there would be mouth-watering pancakes or biscuits to go along with it. Turning, he went inside to wash up for breakfast.

***

Zoey took a deep breath when she brought her car to a stop at the entrance of the huge wooden marker that read Teakwood Ridge. The address beside the sign indicated this was the place. The home that her mother had once owned. The ranch that her aunt Paulina had sold on Zoey’s ninth birthday.

Already, there was a tingling sensation in the bottom of her stomach. Not only had she chased her dream, but she was finally about to face it. Had her parents deliberately led her here for a reason? Was this her mother’s way of reaching out to her, allowing her to discover another part of her past? Namely, the one Aunt Paulina refused to tell her anything about?

Lucky had called this morning wanting details of her agenda for today. She’d suggested that Zoey reinstall the tracking app the two of them shared as a security measure while in college, since they were two single women living alone in New York.

It took Zoey a good thirty minutes between brushing her teeth, washing her face, and blow-drying her hair to convince Lucky that such a thing was unnecessary. Best friend or not, she preferred Lucky not know her every single move. When she told Lucky this, her friend had laughingly accused Zoey of living a double life. Zoey had found the accusation hilarious, given she didn’t know everything about the one life she had. However, to appease her best friend, she promised Lucky that she would provide periodic updates throughout the day.

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