Page 88 of Spilling the Tea

“No, I didn’t know that. Does that mean we’re supposed to be enemies?” he asked grinning.

“Hmm, what do you think?” she asked, chuckling as well.

“I think they obviously got over it. If they didn’t, that’s too bad.”

She nodded. “I have another question. Did you know that, before the feud, my great-grandfather Waylon had been engaged to your great-grandaunt Victoria Madaris?”

He lifted a brow. “No, I didn’t know that either.”

“Ms. Felicia told me about my great-grandparents but never mentioned anything about my great-grandfather Waylon having been engaged to her best friend.”

“Why would she? If he fell in love and married someone else, there was no reason to mention it.”

“But that’s the thing, Chance. Waylon didn’t fall in love with anyone else. He and my great-grandmother Deedra had a marriage of convenience.”

His features showed his surprise. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Deedra says so in her diary. She needed a husband so she wouldn’t be pressured into marrying her deceased husband’s brother, who was a real ass, and Waylon wanted to get married to move on with his life after Victoria ended their engagement. Waylon and Deedra were up-front and honest with each other. She told him she would always love her deceased husband and didn’t have room in her heart for another man, and he told her he would always love Victoria. Deedra even made him promise that when she died, her remains would be returned to Laredo to be buried beside her first husband.”

“And he agreed to do that?”

“In her diary, she wrote that he did and believed he would. He didn’t marry Deedra for five years after Victoria left for Paris to attend nursing school. He hoped she would return and they would get back together, but that didn’t happen.”

Chance nodded. “I wonder what caused the feud in the first place.” When she didn’t say anything, he stared at her for a long time and added, “You know, don’t you?”

There was a lot she knew about the Satterfield and Madaris feud, thanks to what Deedra had written in her diary. She also knew why Victoria and Waylon hadn’t married. “Yes, I know, but if you want the full details, I suggest you talk to Ms. Felicia.” Deciding to change the subject, she asked, “Are you ready to go canoeing after we clear off the table?”

He smiled at her, and she knew he was aware of what she’d done. “Yes, I’m ready.”

***

Chance couldn’t recall the last time he’d had so much fun with a woman. Granted, he had enjoyed himself that night dancing with Zoey, but today was different. The activities includedconversations on various topics. She told him about Lucky and the Andres family and how they’d been there for her while growing up in San Francisco. They talked about her and Lucky’s days in college, attending NYC, and her time in medical school.

She also told him about her work as an orthopedic surgeon, and he told her about his time in the military and the challenges of running a ranch. He’d even expounded on his partnership with his uncle Jake, which was one of the reasons his ranch was so successful.

After a couple of hours canoeing on the lake, she changed into jeans, and they rode the horses to the fruit grove. They had gotten halfway there when it began raining and turned back. After making sure the horses were okay in the barn, they raced to the cabin.

Following her to the mudroom, she handed him some towels. “Dry off well. I don’t want you to catch pneumonia.”

“Would it be okay to take these wet clothes off and toss them in the dryer?” he asked, grinning.

She lifted her brow in a way he thought was cute. “And just what will you wear while waiting for your clothes to dry?”

“I’ll keep on my briefs. You’re a doctor, so I’m sure you’re used to seeing half-naked male patients. And if you are inclined to do so, you can strip down to your panties.”

She grinned and said, “Maybe another time.”

“Is that something I can look forward to, Zoey?” he asked, easing closer to her.

He wasn’t prepared when she eased closer as well. “You can only look forward to us removing our clothes if you accept my conditions, Chance.”

He wasn’t someone who easily accepted conditions; however, he was discovering he could be flexible when it came to Zoey. “What are your conditions?”

“That your one-night-stand and one-and-done policy won’tapply to me. If we become involved, it has to be a summer fling.”

His mind wasn’t the only thing absorbing what she’d said, his entire body was—a spike of heat that had caught him low in the gut just now. “I thought you weren’t into meaningless relationships.”

“There won’t be anything meaningless about it, trust me. What I said was that I don’t sleep with men just to relieve sexual urges. It has to mean more than a tumble between the sheets.”

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