Page 23 of Chance

He didn’t take the bait. “Tell me about Brian.”

“No. I don’t have to.” She crossed her arms. “As we’ve established, you’re the one who has to keep me happy. I could let it slip that I know the sheriff from Cross Creek, Wyoming.”

Anger surged inside him—not just because she was trying to leverage him again, but because he was done with this game. He wanted answers. “I think I have leverage on you, too.”

“Right. Are you going to tell people where I kept my secret stash of bubblegum in our tree house when we were in sixth grade?”

Chance weighed and measured his next move. He hoped his suspicions weren’t true, but he also wanted to know, and there was no better way of getting information out of a witness than to just throw it out there. “I could tell them you’re pregnant.”

Her lips flattened into a thin line, and he realized he shouldn’t have played that card. She shoved away from the table and got to her feet. “This dinner is over.”

He took her by the arm before she could walk away. “Whoa. I’m sorry. I won’t say anything, but I do want answers.”

There were tears in her eyes, but she stayed calm. “I can’t do this here.”

“That’s fine. Let’s go.” Chance pulled his wallet out and tossed some cash onto the table. It would cover their bill plus a nice tip.

They walked out of the restaurant and were crossing the street, heading toward Trey’s truck, when she took off running. “Just leave me alone,” she called over her shoulder. “I can’t do this.”

He caught up to her, but not before she tripped and fell. She cursed, and it surprised him. He’d never heard her curse. Clearly, he didn’t know this woman any longer.

He tried to help her up, but she jerked out of his grasp. “Chance, I swear. Let me go. In fact, you’ll get your way. I’ll act like I don’t know you. All of these people want me to pretend you’re someone you’re not, so I’ll just pretend you don’t even exist.”

Her words would’ve been maddening if she didn’t have tears running down her face. He’d never been great with tears. “Get in the truck, and I’ll take you home.”

She yanked the door open before he could do it. He just hopped in and started the truck. It only took a couple minutes to get to her little house.

Clearly, she hadn’t wanted anyone to know about the baby. And he’d brought it up like an idiot.

When they pulled up, he turned to her. “Look. It doesn’t have to be like this. I want to help you.”

She barked out a laugh and swiped at her cheeks. “You can help me by pretending we don’t know each other. In fact, I think that’s the best thing for both of us.” She jumped out and slammed the door shut.

“No. It’s not.” He caught up to her just as she reached the front door. By the time she opened it, he was walking in behind her.

She stopped and turned back, and he ran into her. “What are you doing? Get out.”

He flipped on the light and stared into her piercing green eyes. The look he found there was steeped in pain and anger. All he’d done was scratch the surface, and her whole heart had shattered. What had Brian done to her? “I’m not leaving.”

She crossed her arms and glared up at him. “I’ll call the cops.”

He couldn’t help but smirk. “Go ahead.”

“Wait. Don’t tell me. You know the cops. In fact, the cops are probably in on this whole charade just like the rest of the town. Why are you even pretending if everyone knows?”

He didn’t answer.

Her lips pressed together, and then she cursed again. “Chance, you have to leave. I thought I was coming to this town where no one would know me. I thought I could start over, and now I clearly can’t. Please. Just leave me alone.”

Chapter 14

Kelly just wanted Chance to go. She had plans, and he was wrecking them. She had uprooted her life across the ocean, and now she felt trapped again.

Suddenly, his arms were around her.

She tried to wriggle away from him. “Let me go. Chance, stop.”

He wasn’t hurting her; he was just holding her. “Kelly, calm down. I’m here to help you. Maybe it’s not a coincidence I’m here. Maybe you need a friend and God sent me to you. Did you ever think of that?”

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